The present invention relates to a cooling system, sometimes called a dual cycle water chiller, which includes a compression-type refrigeration unit and an absorption-type refrigeration unit suitable for chilling of fluids and the like.
Cooling systems have been known, as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,471,630, in which both a compression-type refrigeration unit and an absorption-type unit are arranged in a series system in which the medium to be cooled (such as cold water), having a comparatively high temperature, is cooled down by the evaporator of the absorption-type refrigeration unit and is further cooled by the evaporator of the compression-type refrigeration unit.
An object of the invention disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,471,630 is to provide a cooling system of the aforedescribed combined type in which the combination is arranged so as to attain an efficient use of energy. Whatever the merits of the aforenoted disclosed system and of other similar systems known in the art, such systems have failed to obtain the ultimate possible cost reduction, that is, in a realistic range of 30-40% over more conventional systems.